On July 16, 2022, Bailey and I visited New York City. For me, this was my first time. But for Bailey, this was her third. She had gone once when she was younger for a school trip and then again with her older sister and two friends.

For the majority of my life, I had assumed that I wouldn’t enjoy NYC. I think I’ve always felt that wouldn’t be the biggest fan of massive cities like New York or Los Angeles. However, sometime shortly after high school, I came to the conclusion that experiences are some of the most precious things we have in this life, so I decided that I had to visit at least once. It’s been 10 years since I graduated high school, and I finally made it to New York.

My first impression? NYC is the United States theme park. It’s location is nestled into a unique space and compacted into an area that just doesn’t seem big enough for all of it. On top of that, you literally have to pay to enter, whether traveling by air, train, or vehicle (with tolls). There’s also a lot of buzz and excitement from people. Some people may take my above statement as an insult, but that’s not my intention. It was an honest thought that came to mind while entering the city. Some may take it as a compliment, and that’s great. I mean, most people love amusement parks.

We entered the city via the Lincoln Tunnel and that’s an experience all of it’s own. The clearance is low and the lanes are narrow. It’s a very long tunnel. Once you exit the tunnel into the city, the traffic begins to cross and weave with each other. It’s really quite the sight to see. Driving was a little stressful, mostly because of how we built things up in our minds, but it actually went quite smooth in comparison to what I had expected.

We parked in a valet garage, which the city seemed to have plenty of. The truck remained there all day while we walked and took the subway where we wanted to go. First stop was the Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway for a showing of Come From Away. Bailey and I have already seen this musical on tour twice, but we were determined to see it before it leaves Broadway in October of 2022. The garage we parked in was close by, so we headed that direction. We made a quick stop at Westerly Natural Market on our way to grab a juice and a wrap.

The theaters on Broadway are certainly not what I expected. In many other theaters I’ve been to, there’s a large lobby that you enter into before you enter the seating area. This often has easy access to the bathrooms and any merchandise. In New York, due to limited space, the entry doors put you directly into the seating area. There was no such thing as a lobby. So, if you’re planning to go to a Broadway show, you cannot be late!

The show was near Times Square, so that’s where we headed after leaving the theater. Times Square is just one of those places that you really need to see in person if you go to the city. The first time I looked at a map of NYC, the location of Times Square wasn’t where I expected. But then again, NYC truly is a city unlike most I’ve been to.

If you don’t know the story of Come From Away, it’s a story about 9/11. The story has a much larger impact when you watch it in the city of the attacks. Granted, Come From Away takes place in Newfoundland, but the story itself is centered around the attacks that occurred in New York City. From Times Square, we took the subway to the site of the 9/11 Memorial Pools, where the Twin Towers once stood. Seeing those pools with the names around the edge is so moving. It truly puts things in perspective and into the shoes of the people in the area during the events of that day. I was terrified just thinking about it, as I can only imagine the true terror. When you look up, you’ll see what was originally called the “Freedom Tower”, and is now named the “One World Trade Center”. From where we stood, you could watch the planes fly past…

Another short subway ride and we were at the edge of the city. The Staten Island Ferry station is the perfect place to view the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty when you don’t have the time to make the trip to either of them. The Brooklyn Bridge was definitely more visible and prominent, but the Statue of Liberty was still the Statue of Liberty.

New York has many rare and unique stores and experiences that most other places around the world just don’t have. One of which being a Harry Potter store. Bailey and I are huge fans of the Wizarding World (both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts), so we knew we had to go. I feel it only proper to say thanks to a friend—Wynston—for telling me about the store, as I wouldn’t have known otherwise. This store was absolutely incredible. I haven’t been to Harry Potter World in Orlando quite yet, but this place has merchandise and products unique to this specific store. My favorite part, which I assume is a favorite for many visitors, was the Butter Beer Bar.

Once we finished at the Harry Potter store, our time in NYC was just about over. We had to make it back to our dogs in the RV about 2 hours away. We took another subway ride up toward Madison Square Garden just to see it. Due to all the construction, we didn’t really see the structure, but we walked up to the entrance and saw the New York Rangers team store. Coincidentally, we were able to see Empire State Building while just walking to our next destination, and captured a picture.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the garage we parked in was right across the street from Central Park. So we were able to see a small part of the park when we first arrived, and right before we left. We had an amazing time in the city, but we were completely exhausted. Bailey and I aren’t much for big cities, as they usually mean big crowds, and this was the biggest city in the U.S.. It really took it’s toll (no pun intended). Overall, we loved our time there, and we look forward to more visits in the future. But we might need a little bit more time to recover first.